Welcome Aboard…you are currently viewing the SPMS Forums as a guest, which gives you basic access to view the forums and read what registered members are posting, however, you will not be able to post questions or participate in other board activities.

We’re dreaming big and hope you’ll help us become the number one FREE Southern Pacific Lines modeler’s resource!

We’re all a family here; we want to hear from you, your thoughts and ideas, your favorite SP road not here? Simply tell us, we’ll happily add it for you. We’re listening...and acting!

The Southern Pacific Modelers Society is a completely FREE community and by joining our community, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple, and absolutely free, so hop aboard and join our community today!

Does anyone know what color of red that SP painted their check valves and lifting injectors on their steam engines? I've noticed they also painted some of their cab doors red that opened out to the boiler walk ways.Any and all input appreciated.

That's a bit before my time, but my fellow SP fans who seem to know all about the post war period, told me when I asked a similar question a few years back, Daylight Red was just the ticket. Anything else was too red, or so I was told.

i remember this was a topic from a gentleman giving a presentation on painting brass warbaby gs locos at bapm. i want to say that he used some kind of floquil red. and i remember they were pretty vibrant. i would say a good reefer red, or as J.D said, daylight red would seem to be the most logical. nice tag by the way

I no longer have these models, but the GS-6 has Daylight Red on some of the plumbing...

Now, you also have to think about the engine you are modeling. Is it backshop fresh, or has it seen many a mile in service? If the loco is aged, you might want to use Tuscan blended with your other red to give it that faded dirty look.

Hate to spoil the fun, Espee 2 comman standard red finishes for steam locomotives once upon a time, interurban red for cab roofs and seat & sash red for trim and appliances, painting cab roofs red fell out of favor by about 1930, but the seat & sash red continued to be applied, I guess Daylight red is close enough given that the drift panels for this formula have not survived to compared. Dave

Espee in S wrote:Hate to spoil the fun, Espee 2 comman standard red finishes for steam locomotives once upon a time, interurban red for cab roofs and seat & sash red for trim and appliances, painting cab roofs red fell out of favor by about 1930, but the seat & sash red continued to be applied, I guess Daylight red is close enough given that the drift panels for this formula have not survived to compared. Dave

I believe you are correct that Sash red was standard, but at least on the Coast Divisioin, Daylight red was often substituted. Who'd bad-order a locomotive for the incorrect color red being used on a valve handle?

There was a discussion of this a few weeks ago on the Yahoo Espee group.

Espee in S wrote:Hate to spoil the fun, Espee 2 comman standard red finishes for steam locomotives once upon a time, interurban red for cab roofs and seat & sash red for trim and appliances, painting cab roofs red fell out of favor by about 1930, but the seat & sash red continued to be applied, I guess Daylight red is close enough given that the drift panels for this formula have not survived to compared. Dave

I believe you are correct that Sash red was standard, but at least on the Coast Divisioin, Daylight red was often substituted. Who'd bad-order a locomotive for the incorrect color red being used on a valve handle?

There was a discussion of this a few weeks ago on the Yahoo Espee group.

Plauasble, given that shop forces were encouraged to use existing supplies whenever possible, that same "use it up" mentality partially explains the sudden explosion of DAYLIGHT orange on cabooses and everthing else by the mid fifties, shop crews were instructed to deplete existing supplies and not reorder!